Recently, the NHL publicized NHL EDGE, which tracks the movement, speed, and location of players and pucks across the league.
What do these stats tell us about the Blue Jackets through their 4-5-3 start to the season?
Team Speed
Zach Werenski's 23.50 mph top speed is the fourth-highest max speed in the league, the Blue Jackets are tied for third in speed bursts over 22 mph and second in speed bursts over 20 mph. Clearly, playing fast has been a focal point of the team this season, and it shows in the numbers.
Shot Location
The Blue Jackets are tied for 24th in goals/game at 2.67. Part of that could be that they've generated just 89 high-danger shots on goal and a shooting percentage of 18% from those areas, both of which are below the league average. Of the team's 32 goals this season, 16 are from high-danger areas, 11 are from mid-range, and one is from long-range. In order to score more, it seems like the key is not only shooting from high-danger areas, but to convert from those areas. It's not enough to get high-quality chances. They have to start scoring.
Zone Time (Where The Puck Is)
At even strength, the puck spends 39.2% of the time in the offensive zone, 17.8% in the neutral zone, and 43.0% in the defensive zone. All of those figures are below the league average. On the power play, the Blue Jackets spend 54.9% of the time in the offensive zone, four percent below the league average. On the penalty kill, the puck is in their defensive zone 61.9% of the time, 3.1% worse than the league average.
To put it bluntly, these numbers just aren't good enough. The Blue Jackets have a tough stretch ahead facing Dallas, Detroit, and the Rangers, so you'd think these numbers would have to improve in order for them to beat those teams.
